Old Dog learning New tricks - My Nano Blog

Maprik

Maprik

Member
Hello fellow Reefers! I am returning to the game after a 20 year hiatus. I had an 80 gallon custom cube with sump, deep sand bed, refugium/sump, metal halides. State of the art in 1993!!! Then we moved and I sold the whole thing to a friend. Fast forward and 20 years has gone by. HOW?????

I was strolling down Mississippi Ave about a month ago and my son says, "Dad! Look a fish store!" And there is the coolest little reef shop I've seen in a long while. Place is called Cuttlefish. Well, I felt like a man seeing a Delorean Time Machine. Things looked familiar but way different too. LED lights, Nano Cube systems, etc! Well, I walked outta that shop with a bad bad bite. I started looking at nanos and reading this forum that night.

Got a real good deal on a JBJ Nano Cube and stand from a local guy about 2 weeks ago and found a great local reefer named Scott selling rock, frags, and misc. equipment out of his basement! So cool!

And so now I'm back into it, much to my wife's chagrin and the delight of my 3 children (13, 11, and 9).

Since this is only my 5th post I'll post some pics next, after I am allowed to.

Kind Regards!
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Here's a first pic of the tank from a couple weeks ago after setting up and putting in an inch of fine aragonite sand and the live rock. Got some great large pieces from Scott who had just received a bunch of rock from a local guy who had to dismantle a big tank.


Untitled by maprik, on Flickr
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
After the sand settled (took a couple days) I discovered the super cool EcoTech VorTech MP10! I had to have it and ordered one with some additional LED strip lights for evening viewing (hood fans are kinda loud so I plan on running the full lighting from 10am to 5pm and then reduced lighting (fans off) from 5pm - 10pm). Blue moonlight LEDs until midnight. The MP10 stirred up the water (in a good way) for another couple days! I'm super thrilled with it though. Amazing wave technology. I'm running both the return pumps on the JBJ full blast, not using the wave timer. I figure it's not needed with the MP10 and more water movement overall is just better.

But now it's cleared up and it's been looking like this for 3-4 days.


Untitled by maprik, on Flickr

Untitled by maprik, on Flickr

Untitled by maprik, on Flickr

Untitled by maprik, on Flickr
 
DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Thanks for starting a thread & sharing your tank progress with us!
Looks AWESOME so far, like the scape & the little polyps so far....excited to see your tank build!
Keep up the good pictures & posts :biker
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Here are a couple pics from today with a AquaC Nano Remora that I put on the back yesterday. It's loud (to me) so I am going to try just running it at night and maybe in the morning when no one is around and then have it off from Noon to 10pm or so, when everyone's home. I debated for a few days whether to put a sump behind the tank, it's what I'm used to, but after much deliberation I've decided to give it a go without a sump. Right now the only thing I don't have and can't add into this system is a refugium with chaeto. Maybe I'll put some Caulerpa in the tank behind the reef?

Please - any suggestions and opinions are most welcome.


Untitled by maprik, on Flickr

Untitled by maprik, on Flickr
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Thanks for the welcome. This "sanctuary" seems like great place to hang-out and it's great to share... This kind of forum thing is new to me as well. 20 years ago I didn't know how to get a photo onto the web!!!!

Holy Moley!!! Nanoreefing4fun and DianaKay!!! It's going to take me a while to read through your threads!!!!!! But I will. Nothing like following a thread to learn new things!!! Thanks!
 
Snelly40

Snelly40

Well-Known Member
looking like a great start, love your aquascape and good move with the aqua c remora and the extra powerhead!!!
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Thanks all for the comments on the rock. Skimmer is making lots of microbubbles so I'm hoping that stops soon. I forgot about that happening in my old set-up... So Scott (amazing reefs in his reef supply "store") swears by something called Smart Start. Apparently this product contains all the seeding bacteria needed to cycle the tank within 24 hours. I've read a bunch about this on the web and there seems to be mostly positive (yet cautionary) feedback regarding this product. Scott seems to know what he's doing though based on the amazing tanks in his basement (about 15 of them and one is 500 gallons). So I added that to the JBJ right after I set up all the rock. Tested all water parameters for the first time last night and everything is within ideal. So, one more week of testing and I may be able to start adding some stock. Thinking about 2 clowns and a carpet anemone or bubble tip as well as CUC.
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Just bought the CUC today. A dozen Nerites, a couple of Turbos, 3 Blue Legged Hermits, and an Emerald crab. Also noticed a small dime sized white starfish has crept out of the rock. Chow down guys, the diatoms are building up fast! Trying to figure out how to get some Chaeto into the back area of the tank with some reverse lighting...
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Update: I love turbo snails!!!! Talk about voracious hair algae eaters! Diatoms have come under control and are on the wane. Hair algae is well under control due to 2 turbo snails. Here is a rock they are working on and the next photo is a rock that was completely covered in hair algae. Amazing creatures. I just hope there continues to be enough algae growth to feed them. Tank is looking great. All water parameters are optimal. Added 2 Tomato clowns yesterday!!!


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Untitled by maprik, on Flickr

Untitled by maprik, on Flickr
 
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Maprik

Maprik

Member
Thank you! Might need to return the tomato clowns to Petco though. Just realizing (a little late) from reading on the web that a 29 gallon tank is just not big enough for these extremely territorial little guys. Should have thought it through and planned the entire tank population first. I had a couple in my 80 gallon that minded their own territory and the other fish had room to keep away but now I'm reading in Nano-terms and I've been reading about Tomatoes killing other fish because of their territorial nature. Nano thinking is so different from "big tank" thinking where everyone has a place to call "home". I don't think I'll be able to have a peaceful tank with other fish with the Tomatoes in there and I'd like a Rainsford Goby and maybe a firefish or cardinal. Maybe Percula Clowns would be a better choice?
 
DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
I'm excited that you are ready for Fish now....I started with a pair of clowns (false percs) and they've been fine. They swim the whole tank length all day. But my tank is a little bigger & they haven't "claimed" an area yet.
Maybe if you waited until last adding the more aggressive fish, you could still have a pair? I just love clowns.
I've thought about the Rainsford Goby...I think they are very pretty. Might get one when I can add another fish :)
Any corals you are wanting to add yet?
There are lots of choices & decisions....keep us posted.
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Thanks Diana! I forgot to mention that I added a green polyp rock last week!!! It's doing great and looks lush and healthy. I'm probably going to try some pumping xenia and mushroom corals next. I have decided to return the Tomatoes and will probably replace them with a Rainsford goby and some kind of sand sifting goby. Going to study the various clowns and see what will work in such a small tank. Considering an anemone and a clown but I'm nervous about an anemone in such a small tank where the residents will be forced into constant close proximity.

One more very nice update is that the protein skimmer has stopped creating microbubbles and is making a very nice dark skimmate of gunk! I just wish I could get a refugium going. I'm debating the risk/benefit on adding some type of macro algae to the main tank. There's a type of Caulerpa that stays mainly in the sand so maybe something like that in the back...


Untitled by maprik, on Flickr
 
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